1st anniversary of St. John Bosco chapel at Wright State

Today, we celebrated the first anniversary of St. John Bosco chapel at Wright State. It was not as fancy as dedication mass but still a good celebration. There were two statues of St. Mary and St. Joseph blessed and offered to the community. After the mass, we had brunch and I had some nice chats with some old friends.

It is hard to realize that a year has gone past so quickly. Over the past year, many things happened and changed in my life as it was to the chapel. As I look back, I see God is right beside me and guiding me when I see the future is blurred. It is a amazing feeling when I see that I had overcome many obstacles during the past year and I am sure I will face many in the future successfully with the help of God by my side. Thank you Lord!

An incident happened in advance for good!

I was preparing to apply for Austrian Visa for a conference visit during the last month and was collecting required documents and reading facts on the web page of the Austrian consulate at Chicago. I found out that they are closing the office and for few months Visa applications from Ohio should be directed to New York consulate general. That meant I have to either drive there which is about 10 hours or get a flight. Since the cost of the trip I estimated (without knowing this) is less, I was in trouble getting funds for another ticket from the campus. Therefore I opted to drive and get the visa. I asked for a car rental and everything was set to drive in a week when I decided to get a call to the consulate and double check just for nothing that I should come to New York.

Then I spoke with a lady from the consulate office and she asked me questions like have you been to Europe before, what are you doing in USA, etc. After I said that I had been to Europe several times and I am a graduate student in USA, she just said to me that it is okay for me to mail in the application since I have to come a long way to just to get the Visa. This is just like miracle and I didn't expect this kind of a response from them as it is said clearly in the web site that you have be there physically to get the Visa. I was very happy and days went by and the week I was expecting to travel to USA arrived. But at that time was having fever and cold and was not feeling well at all. In that condition there was no way that I could drive for 10 hours without causing any accidents as I think because it was hard for me to just stay awake for half an hour.

As I look back, I realized that this lady from the consulate asked me to mail in the package happened for my good. Otherwise, I could have been in trouble in getting to New York. I believe, this happened to a reason and I overcame the situation with a helping hand from somebody. I believe that helping hand came from somebody who cares for me and knows how the future works out. God helped me out in this situation that everything happened very smoothly and the unexpected good has happened. This is amazing when I look back what has happened with coincidental incidents as any other person may consider!

I'm reaching late 20 s ...... :) :(

It is hard to believe that I am 29 today. So many years have gone by. As I recall, after my early to mid 20s, I do not know how the rest of the years went by. All the good memories I have are before my mid 20 s. The days I went to school and campus and time spent with cousins playing and going on trips. When I was going to school, I remember, I get up around 6 15 am, then come into the living room and drink a cup of milk prepared by mom and then sleep or lie on the couch for another 10-15 minutes until I feel get up. And then that time where I feel time to get up and just jump out of the couch when time is nearly 6 45 am. The school van comes at 7 10 am. When I was going to campus, it was even crazier, as I get up around 5 50 am and have to catch the train at 6 20 am. But all the same way of getting up. School days, my sister also gets ready to go to school. She goes first into the bathroom and then me. Then I missed when she finished here school days that I had to get ready alone.

Those days are gone now and I am getting older and older. Time to accept that I am a person that I looked at my childhood days as a man. It is time to accept that I am no longer a child or a teenager. A person that I saw the living images of my father and others. So it is sometimes look scary. But I think its okay, I will get used to it.

This B'Day is my last in the 20 s. I feel old already but I dnt look like that right? Oh yeah, you always think like that but the reality may be different. Also I feel like, when I wish somebody on a B'Day I do not feel any special. But for that person, it feels and means alot. You get to feel this when it is your B'Day. Sometimes you may feel oh, I may not wish that person but you may not realize that the simple words you mention may mean alot to that person and makes his day. These are some random thoughts I got today and during past few B'Days.

I also should thank Lord Jesus for many things I have today. Wonderful parents, cousins, parents and caring close ones. The blessings  I have are abundant and he often led me into correct paths in past years. On my B'Day I thank you for everything and keep me, my family, cousins, loved ones and friends safe.

Ireland - People are good but Weather is bad :)

I had an opportunity to live in Ireland for four months where I felt I belong to nowhere now.  First, I lived in Sri lanka for about 26 years (home country) and the feeling I get in Sri Lanka is different no matter how bad the current situation is in Sri Lanka (political and economical). Because, that is where all my family, relations, neighbors and most friends are and from. Then I moved to US and felt it was great. But when time passed by, I felt that liking a country is different than where you belong. That is, I like US but I belong to Sri Lanka.

Then for past four months, I lived in Ireland and then I further realized that now I am becoming lost. Ireland's culture and community is closer to what I used to be. That is, it is a Catholic country (even though Sri Lanka is not a Catholic country, my environment was) and people loved to have little communities and engage more in social activities and casual chats where in US people are more independent as I observed. I used to go mass while I was in Ireland to the Sacred Heart church at Westside, Galway. The church atmosphere and people reminded me my home church and mass I went when I was there and a kid with my parents and family. I do not know how to explain, but I felt like it is much closer to Sri lanka than US. Event the sermons were closer to what I heart in Sri Lanka. May be its just what I imagine or may be it is the reality that Ireland culture is closer to south Asian culture (in catholic communities I mean). This may be because many missionaries from Ireland and Europe built Catholic communities in the Asian countries in the recent past.

First few weeks were harder for me to adjust as I had to walk about 3 kms everyday to work (one way) the weather was almost uniform. That is, it was always the same temperature between 0 and 10 C. neither you get snow or feel warm. the houses were built using cement and bricks and hence it feels much colder inside. Heating systems are working using oil and pipe line heating. In Ireland, it was always drizzling or raining with wind. Always and always it was. If I take weather prediction for a day during January to March, everyday it was raining between hours breaks. Sometimes I started walking in no-rain condition and when half way through, it starts raining. So weather, I didn't like at all.

Well, people are in general, most of them are friendly and helpful. There are always outliers. One day, when I was trying to get 404 bus to work I accidentally got into 405 bus. That was the first time I was trying to get into a bus to find out the route. That driver was so rude, I asked "can I go to business park?", he said "get in, I dnt know". When I was getting coins to pay the fare, he was annoyed. He should have noticed that I am a stranger and may be I don't know the ticket cost. So I had to just get alone and realized that it was going in the wrong road and then got off from the next bus stop and walked again to work. That was really really rude of him. Other than that very selfish, self obsessed bus driver, I think many others I met (Irish people) are very nice.

When months passed by, I became to realize that I am feeling I am in cultural dilemma. I was raised in Sri Lanka, living in US and experiencing Irish culture. That was the period that reminded me, I actually belong to Sri Lanka and my values are coming from there rather than from any other country. But, in the end I feel like, I like US and from Sri lanka but do not like Europe to live in for a long period :).